Travel to Saint Barthélemy

To discover Saint-Barth, we advise you to use the shipping company Voyager. It offers several departures a day and various services: boat only, boat + rental a car, boat + visit to the island + lunch. Three excursions are suggested: 1/ Upon departure of Marigot to St Barth, you have a tour of the island of St Maarten. 2/ South of the island, you can sunbathe on the beaches of Lands Bass (Baie Rouge, the Plums Bay, Long Bay), Cupecoy, Mullet Bay, Simpson Bay, Bay Philipsburg, white Pointe and on the way back (always less busy) north of the island, there is East Bay, the island of Tintamarre, Marcel Anse, Grand Case, Happy Bay, Friar's Bay and ... Marigot!3/ From Oyster Pond to St Barth the boat will travel along the Fork and Groupers Islands before arriving atthe beautiful bay of Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthelemy. The lucky ones will catch a glimpse of whales and flying fish!

Saint Barthelemy is a tiny island of 9 square miles. During a week's stay here, you will have every opportunity to discover its 22 beautiful beaches whose large sizes are unexpected in such a small area. The most popular beaches are those of the Governor and Grande Saline, in the direction of the Caribbean, two semi-wild inlets, which are long enough to not become overcrowded with visitors. The Grand Fond cove is also superb, you can't swim there, but the place is amazing: jagged cliffs, stone walls and hills of grass rasa, it reminds you of Ireland. If possible, make a trip to the Cove of Flamingos, a long spit of white sand bordered by the Atlantic or visit the crescent formed by the Bay of Saint-Jean which is the most lively seaside spot in Saint-Barth with all its hotels and bars. Otherwise have a drink at the Pelican or at the Beach, on a comfortable sofa, with your feet in the sand.
It is on the Bay of Saint-Jean and at the Grand Cul de Sac, to the east, that water sports (windsurfing, pedalos, canoeing, kayaking and sea scooters) are offered. There is scuba diving in the Grand Cul de Sac and the coves of Cayes and Toiny and surfing in Lorient and the Cayes bay.
The best season to go to Saint Barthélemy, financially speaking, is in the summer. As a result, the island, having been (wrongly) neglected by tourists, drops its prices (by nearly 50% for hotels), so make the most of it! Indeed, Saint Barthélemy - which has a fairly similar climate all year round, though drier than in Martinique and Guadeloupe - is very pleasant from May to August, even though it is warmer in winter (air: 30 °C, water: 29 °C). Moreover, the days are longer (sunrise at 5:00 am., sunset at 7:00 pm compared to 6:00 am. and 6:00 pm. in winter). In addition, between March and June you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the whales.

Saint Barthélemy is famous for being frequented by jet setters, with everything that that implies: an intimate, no access ?show off' ambiance. While it is true that the port of Gustavia is overcrowded with huge yachts, it often only lasts for the two weeks between Christmas and New Year's Day. Thus, altthough the island can be crowded with a festive ?party atmosphere' reminiscent of Saint-Tropez on occasions, the rest of the time the celebrities who come here remain discreet and the hotels (mostly 4* luxury hotels) also host both ?Mr and Mrs everybody', mostly American, with strong purchasing power. Since the American "high end" is not so formal, the atmosphere follows suit. If you want though, you can also stay in a charming 3 star hotel, which is much more affordable but you will pay a lot for your meals and leisure activities.

Finally, since the island has no source of fresh water, drinking water is obtained from desalinated water or rain collected in tanks. So be eco-friendly: save water.